Amazon officially confirmed this morning that it would open its Appstore to international users for the first time since launching in the United States last year. The countries in the initial international rollout scheduled for “this summer” include the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Amazon is inviting developers to visit its developer portal to begin localizing and preparing their apps for distribution in the new countries. It also noted developers would be able to select specific countries and set prices by market, but developers will by default have their apps made available internationally.

As part of the announcement, Amazon also explained it would introduce two new changes to the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Agreement that benefit developers. Most importantly, developers will now earn 70 percent of paid app sales starting July 1.

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-Amazon is aligning the revenue share for paid apps with that for in-app products sold using Amazon’s In-App Purchasing Service. Starting on July 1, developers will earn 70 percent of list price on each paid app sale.

-Developers can now control which apps they will make available to Amazon customers, and when, providing more flexibility around timing for app submissions.

Amazon’s full press release is below:

Amazon Opens Portal for International Mobile App Distribution

Developers around the world are invited to start submitting apps today for international distribution later this year, beginning with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun. 20, 2012– (NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that developers can now submit apps for distribution this summer in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with plans for further global expansion in the near future. Developers can get started by visiting the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal.

The Amazon Appstore in the U.S. has grown to tens of thousands of apps and games in just one year. As a result of features like 1-Click purchasing and Test Drive (which allows customers to try apps before purchasing them), developers report strong monetization from the apps they offer through Amazon. Amazon recently introduced an In-App Purchasing service that is simple for developers to integrate and helps monetize their apps and games even better than before, while still offering customers a seamless and secure 1-Click purchasing experience. Many developers have seen revenue skyrocket as a result of Amazon In-App Purchasing and are excited to offer their apps to even more customers outside the United States.

“We’ve seen that Amazon gamers are hungry for great content and are willing to open up their digital wallets to pay for it,” said Niccolo de Masi, CEO and President of Glu Mobile. “Our latest title launched on Amazon, Frontline Commando, has seen both revenue per daily active user and lifetime value metrics exceed averages as compared to other devices and platforms. Taking a successful platform like Amazon’s and expanding it across the globe is going to give us an even broader customer base and create an opportunity to generate even more revenue—something we are very excited about.”

“We are delighted with the strong relationship that we’ve cultivated with the U.S. Amazon Appstore since its launch, and Kindle Fire has been hugely successful for our titles,” said Peter Vesterbacka, CMO and Mighty Eagle of Rovio. “As a strong global brand with an international fan base, we are very excited to expand our offerings to Amazon’s customers worldwide.”

“With fan-favorite games like Plants vs. Zombies and SCRABBLE topping the charts, the U.S. Amazon Appstore has been a fantastic avenue for EA to reach an entirely new segment of consumers,” said Bernard Kim, Senior Vice President of Global Social & Mobile Publishing for EA. “Amazon’s international expansion marks an exciting opportunity to bring our interactive entertainment experiences to even more consumers around the world.”

“Amazon is a key distributor for us, delivering users who prove to be loyal and prolific in their usage,” said Evan Conway, OneLouder Apps President. “International adoption is critical to our business and we are excited to broaden our reach through Amazon’s new global channel providing great mobile experiences for customers around the world.”

“Allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner is the #1 cooking app for the U.S. Amazon Appstore and Kindle Fire, and our community engages with our apps 45 percent more on Kindle Fire devices than any other device, so we know they love and trust the Amazon app platform,” said Lisa Sharples, President of Allrecipes.com. “Allrecipes is a trusted global brand with successful international apps and we are very excited to have Amazon help us connect with new international home cooks.”

“We are thrilled at the success our developers have experienced on the Amazon platform in the last year,” said Jim Adkins, Vice President of the Amazon Appstore. “Some developers have seen revenue double since the launch of In-App Purchasing. We’re excited to open the door to even more opportunity by expanding app sales outside the U.S. We see tremendous potential for current developers in our distribution program to grow with the international expansion. We also encourage new developers to join and participate in the platform’s growth.”

Developers should visit the distribution portal to learn about localizing apps with localized resource files for different regions, as well as other tips on how to prepare their apps for international distribution. Developers have the ability to select the countries where they would like to sell their apps. They can also set their list prices by marketplace. Those already participating in the program will automatically have their apps made available for sale internationally by default. And developers can easily change international availability for their apps via the distribution portal if they don’t wish to sell in select countries. Developers who are new to the program can sign up at the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal.

New Amazon Mobile App Distribution Terms

Today Amazon is also announcing two changes to the Amazon Mobile App Distribution agreement. First, building on the success of the April In-App Purchasing launch, and to simplify our global terms, Amazon is aligning the revenue share for paid apps with that for in-app products sold using Amazon’s In-App Purchasing Service. Starting on July 1, developers will earn 70 percent of list price on each paid app sale. This is a change from the prior terms under which developers earned either 70 percent of the app’s sales price or 20 percent of list price (whichever was greater).

Second, the terms of the agreement have been adapted to provide even more flexibility around timing of app submissions. Developers can now better control which apps they will make available to Amazon customers, and when.

Developers can review the full agreement by visiting the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal now.

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About the Author

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s weekly Logic Pros series and makes music as one half of Toronto-based Makamachine.